Peter Taylor 1923
Posted By thecircusblog on January 30, 2010
It was said that this is the lion trainer that Clyde Beatty fashioned himself after. Peter Nelson 1923.
SEE………………..Comment by Roger Smith.
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My name is Ivan M. Henry and I am the 4th generation of a circus/show business dynasty. I hope you enjoy the blog.Comments
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Yes, it was. Beatty was transferred over to Hagenbeck-Wallace in 1925, and was assigned to Pete Taylor and his big mixed act of 25 lions and tigers. One night that season, Taylor stalled in the safety cage and couldn’t enter the arena. Beatty helped him out of the Big Top, then returned to find manager Danny Odom fretting over refunds for a full house since the cage couldn’t work. Beatty said he’d take it. Odom was torn between reluctance and refunds, and told the 23-year-old Beatty if he could work them, they were his. That night, Clyde Beatty became a sensation that lasted another 40 years.
Rumors had Taylor suffering a nervous breakdown at the time. Further research holds that he had previously incurred serious injuries to his neck, and on the night in question, was seized with near-paralyzing nerve pain, ending his career in the cage. Young Beatty had broken in, starting in 1921, with Louis Roth and Chubby Guilfoyle, was primed for his chance, and was in the right place at the right time, proving he had the right stuff.